Blending Hydrogen Into Natural Gas Pipeline Networks: a Review of Key Issues
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Blending Hydrogen into Natural Gas Pipeline Networks: A Review of Key Issues M. W. Melaina, O. Antonia, and M. Penev NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. Technical Report NREL/TP-5600-51995 March 2013 Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308 Blending Hydrogen into Natural Gas Pipeline Networks: A Review of Key Issues M. W. Melaina, O. Antonia, and M. Penev Prepared under Task No. HT12.2010 NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. National Renewable Energy Laboratory Technical Report 15013 Denver West Parkway NREL/TP-5600-51995 Golden, Colorado 80401 March 2013 303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308 NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof. Available electronically at http://www.osti.gov/bridge Available for a processing fee to U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors, in paper, from: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information P.O. Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0062 phone: 865.576.8401 fax: 865.576.5728 email: mailto:[email protected] Available for sale to the public, in paper, from: U.S. Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 phone: 800.553.6847 fax: 703.605.6900 email: [email protected] online ordering: http://www.ntis.gov/help/ordermethods.aspx Cover Photos: (left to right) PIX 16416, PIX 17423, PIX 16560, PIX 17613, PIX 17436, PIX 17721 Printed on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 10% post consumer waste. Acknowledgments Funding for this report came from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program. The authors thank Daniel Ersoy and Zhongquan Zhou from the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) for preparing the subcontract report, included as Appendix A. The report has benefited greatly due to comments received from multiple reviewers of an earlier version. Specifically, we thank Glen Eisman (H2Pump LLC), Onno Florisson (KEMA, European NaturalHy Project), Edward Heydorn (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), Noel Leeson (Power & Energy Inc.), and Frank Lomax (CB&I Lummus Technology). iii Definitions atm atmosphere CCS carbon capture and storage DTI Directed Technologies, Inc. EHS electrochemical hydrogen separation FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission GTI Gas Technology Institute HDS hydro-desulfurization IEA International Energy Agency IMP Integrity Management Program IMT Integrity Management Tool in. inch, inches ISQ Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade m meter NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory PBI polybenzimidazole Pd palladium PE polyethylene PEM proton exchange membrane PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ppb parts per billion ppm parts per million ppmv parts per million by volume PSA pressure swing absorption psi pounds per square inch psia pounds per square inch absolute psig pounds per square inch gauge PVC polyvinyl chloride SMR steam methane reforming iv Executive Summary Hydrogen is being pursued as a sustainable energy carrier for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and as a means of storing renewable energy at utility scale. Hydrogen can also be used as a fuel in stationary fuel cell systems for buildings, backup power, or distributed generation. Blending hydrogen into the existing natural gas pipeline network has been proposed as a means of increasing the output of renewable energy systems such as large wind farms. If implemented with relatively low concentrations, less than 5%–15% hydrogen by volume, this strategy of storing and delivering renewable energy to markets appears to be viable without significantly increasing risks associated with utilization of the gas blend in end-use devices (such as household appliances), overall public safety, or the durability and integrity of the existing natural gas pipeline network. However, the appropriate blend concentration may vary significantly between pipeline network systems and natural gas compositions and must therefore be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Any introduction of a hydrogen blend concentration would require extensive study, testing, and modifications to existing pipeline monitoring and maintenance practices (e.g., integrity management systems). Additional cost would be incurred as a result, and this cost must be weighed against the benefit of providing a more sustainable and low-carbon gas product to consumers. Blending hydrogen into natural gas pipeline networks has also been proposed as a means of delivering pure hydrogen to markets, using separation and purification technologies downstream to extract hydrogen from the natural gas blend close to the point of end use. As a hydrogen delivery method, blending can defray the cost of building dedicated hydrogen pipelines or other costly delivery infrastructure during the early market development phase. This hydrogen delivery strategy also incurs additional costs, associated with blending and extraction, as well as modifications to existing pipeline integrity management systems, and these must be weighed against alternative means of bringing more sustainable and low-carbon energy to consumers. Though the concept of blending hydrogen with natural gas is not new (IGT 1972), the rapid growth in installed wind power capacity and interest in the near-term market readiness of FCEVs has made blending a more tangible consideration within several stakeholder activities (Florisson 2012; GM 2010), including recent agreements on “Power-to-Gas” initiatives with Hydrogenics (2012a; 2012b). Delivering blends of hydrogen and methane (the primary component of natural gas) by pipeline also has a long history, dating back to the origins of today’s natural gas system when manufactured gas produced from coal was first piped during the Gaslight era to streetlamps, commercial buildings, and households in the early and mid-1800s. The manufactured gas products of the time, also referred to as town gas or water gas, typically contained 30%–50% hydrogen, and could be produced from pitch, whale oil, coal or petroleum products (Castaneda 1999; Tarr 2004; Melaina 2012). The use of manufactured gas persisted in the United States into the early 1950s, when the last manufactured gas plant in New York was shut down and natural gas had displaced all major U.S. manufactured gas production facilities. In some urban areas, such as Honolulu, Hawaii, manufactured gas continues to be delivered with significant hydrogen blends and is used in heating and lighting applications as an economic alternative to natural gas (TGC 2012; GM 2010). v This report reviews seven key issues related to blending hydrogen into natural gas pipeline networks, which are described briefly in the following sections. Though these issues are interrelated, they are presented separately for the sake of clarifying explanation: 1. Benefits of blending 2. Extent of the U.S. natural gas pipeline network 3. Impact on end-use systems 4. Safety 5. Material durability and integrity management 6. Leakage 7. Downstream extraction The review material presented in this report relies heavily on a study from the Gas Technology Institute (GTI), which is included as Appendix A. While conventional means of producing and delivering hydrogen are relatively well understood, blending as a means of storing or delivering hydrogen is very dependent on specific characteristics of the natural gas pipeline system. The GTI assessment therefore details the implications of hydrogen blending in relation to the distinct characteristics of the U.S. natural gas pipeline system. This report also relies on the extensive studies conducted within the NaturalHy project, associated with the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Commission (Florisson 2012), as well as information from a Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme study sponsored by the International Energy Agency (IEA) (Haines et al. 2003). Benefits of Blending Adding hydrogen to natural gas can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions if the hydrogen is produced from low-carbon energy sources such as biomass, solar, wind, nuclear, or fossil resources with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Any social or environmental benefits associated with sustainable hydrogen pathways could arguably be attributed to natural gas with a hydrogen blend component in proportion to the hydrogen concentration. In the downstream extraction pathway, use of hydrogen in FCEVs improves air quality by reducing sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and particulate emissions and displacing conventional gasoline or diesel